FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Arbor Day Event Planned

The City of Columbia will hold its 14th Annual Arbor Day program on April 26. This year’s celebration will start at about 9 a.m. at Benton Elementary School and will end around 11 a.m.

Festivities will begin with a welcome and a proclamation. Benton students will then rotate through educational stations that promote proper tree planting and care. The stations will focus on tree benefits, the proper place to plant a tree, tree trimming equipment, planting a 15-gallon container tree, and tree identification.

In addition to the ceremony, Parks and Recreation forestry staff plan to plant approximately 13 trees on school property as part of the Arbor Day Celebration.

The Arbor Day celebration is a collaboration among the city’s Parks and Recreation Forestry staff, Water and Light Department, Asplundh tree service, the City’s Arborist and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Columbia holds Arbor Day events each year as part of their designation as a Tree City USA, a recognition bestowed by the National Arbor Day Foundation to honor the city’s commitment to a forestry program. Columbia has met all four standards to be a Tree City USA: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.

For more information about the Arbor Day observance, call Parks and Recreation at 874-7460.